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Rivers APC Crisis And Amb. Ngofa's Resort To Mendacity

Recently the Nigerian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Netherlands Amb. Oji Ngofa launched a media tirade against the Senator representing Rivers South East Sen. Magnus Ngei Abe over what he says is the plan of the Governorship aspirant in Rivers state to destroy the All Progressives Congress APC led by Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi. Amb. Ngofa in the interview gave the impression that he was very close to Sen. Abe and considering the interest of his party in taking over the Rivers Brick House come 2019, sees the ambition of Sen. Abe which he has pursued legitimately as the biggest threat to the party come 2019.  As I read through the interview, I sensed where Amb. Ngofa was coming from and I must stress that I saw what ambition can do to the thought of the noblest of men. Amb. Oji Ngofa having enjoyed the best of patronage from the former Governor of Rivers state and current minister of transport who aside pushing him for the post of ambassador to the Nether...

APC Primaries, Buhari's Clarion Call And The Rivers Question

When most of us who witnessed the injustice in the Primaries of the All Progressives Congress APC in Rivers state last October and channeled our grievances to President Muhammadu Buhari, we did it because we had the conviction that as a humane and understanding leader, he will look into the issues critically with a bid to addressing it for the general good   and progress of the party. Mr. President true to his character, yesterday the 27th of November 2018 did the much awaited needful when contrary to the position of the party's National Executive Council, encouraged aggrieved aspirants to seek legal redress in the course of addressing their grievances. It should be noted that that the NWC of the party had penultimate week said it will sanction aggrieved aspirants who were in court against the outcome of the primaries in their states. Notable states where angst against the process of the primaries that has threatened to divide the party include but not limited to Imo, Riv...

Tributes for late Pa Ifeanyi Ogbu

TRIBUTE TO MY BELOVED FATHER IN LAW That you are no more around to do the things you always do has made me understand how cruel life can be. You are such a wonderful motivator, confidant and a true believer in our great redeemer and saviour. Since I came in contact with you I have never failed to appreciate how kind and magnanimous you can be towards we your children and others you came in contact with. The truth is that a lot of people will miss you and your grandchildren which God Almighty gave me will miss your loving presence the most. They cry every time they watch your pictures missing your regular calls and always wishing you did not leave them so soon but your maker whom you have gone to see knows why he called you in such early period in life. We all remain consoled of the fact that you lived a good life and fought a good fight. May you sail to eternity until we meet again at the feet of the Lord. Comrade Nwokoma Messiah TRIBUTE TO MY BELOVED GRAND DADDY It c...

APW Faults Call for Sack of NEMA DG

The Association of Parliamentary writers APW has faulted the call for the sack of the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA Mr Mustafa Maihaji. The group while reacting to the adoption of the report of the ad hoc committee chaired by Hon. Ali Isa at plenary at the House of Representatives said the call is hasty and filled of innuendos. Comrade Kingsley Frank the national publicity secretary of the association in a press statement made available to newsmen in the National Assembly complex said the report of the committee was devoid of specifics. ‘’resorting to generalized statements that is based on events which the DG is not culpable of  cannot be a basis for the call for the sack of the NEMA boss. ‘’There may have been some level of negligence one way or the other in the agency before now but it cannot be pointed at the DG not talk of calling for his sack’’ the group posited. The association said most of the challenges facing the agency are been ad...

Rivers APC Guber Primaries and Lanre Issa- Onilu's Misconception of The Law

Recently the acting Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress APC Lanre Issa-Onilu said the Supreme Court judgment of October does not affect the outcome of the Governorship Primaries election that held on the 2nd of October 2018. The statement credited to the acting Publicity Secretary which came after there have been various interpretations of the judgment from various camps in the matter goes a long way to show that Mr Lanre Issa-Onilu   has chosen not to be a true party man that has embraced the values which the party have always espoused which include among other things, the respect for rule of law and promotion of justice. The party have through the Publicity Secretary said “In view of conflicting interpretations that have greeted the recent verdict of the Supreme Court on the contentions among our members in Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), it has become necessary to clarify that the Supreme Court’s verdict has nothing t...

Ogoni Clean Up: We are Committed To Realising The Project HYPREP

The project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project t HYPREP DR. Malvin Dekil has said they are committed to ensuring that the cleanup of the area is achieved. DR. Dekil stated this while speaking to correspondents at the National Assembly after a they had met members of the House Committee on Environment. Dr. Dekil said contrary to allegations that they have expended 10 million dollars on the project, what was actually released was 5 million dollars and there is also a balance of over 300 million naira. He said what is holding the commencement of the cleanup project is qualification of contractors who will handle the jobs in phases. ''once that is done you will be rest assured that by this November, we will commence the clean up exercise'' While addressing the issue of time wastage on the project,   Dr. Dekil said “The process of remediating a site is a very thorough one and time consuming. We don’t want to do this the way they ...

DISASTER MANAGEMENT: SEMAs Our Weakest Links To Disaster Management - DG NEMA

The Director General of the national Emergency Management Agency NEMA Mustapha Maihaja says the State Emergency Management Agency SEMA are the weakest links it has in disaster response management in the country. The Director General of the agency made this known when members of the Senate Committee on Special Duties led by Senator Abdulaziz   Nyako visited NEMA as part of its oversight. The Director General of the agency while answering a question from the Chairman of the Committee said there is poor funding of SEMA and most of them are understaffed.  He also said it will be difficult to close down the Intenal Displaced Persons camps because most international organisations are opposed to it. He also said the International Humanitarian Law IHL prevents the closure of the camps because it has not met the requirement for its closure. The NEMA DG stated that disaster managers are doing distributions in IDP camps in Borno and Adamawa states and those in the camps...

JUST IN: Adeleke arraigned for exam malpractices, granted bail

The police on Wednesday arraigned the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in the September 22, 2018 election in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, and four others, on charges of examination malpractices. The defendants were arraigned before Justice I.E Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where they all pleaded not guilty to the four counts preferred against them. The rest of the defendants alongside whom Adeleke was arraigned were, Sikiru Adeleke; the principal of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School, Alhaji Aregbesola Muftau; the registrar of the school, Gbadamosi Ojo; and a teacher in the school, Dare Samuel Olutope. The prosecution accused the five defendants of committing the offence of examination malpractices by fraudulently, through impersonation, registering Adeleke and another Sikiru Adeleke, as students of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School, in Ojo-Aro in Osun State, for the National Examination Council’s June/July 2017 Senior School ...

Before We Crucify Usman Yusuf NHIS BOSS

The purported suspension of Mr. Usman Yusuf the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme by the Governiing Council of the scheme has raised a lot of dusts especially considering his refusal to yield to the decision of the Council citing the lack of constitutional rights by the Council to send him on suspension. Since the emergence of the present Executive Secretary and the way and manner he has run the Scheme over the past three years he has been there as its head, it is not unexpected to witness the kind of gang up and blackmail he has received. What seems to bother most of us who are watchers of the happenings at the National Health Insurance Scheme NHIS is why the Governing Council of the Scheme will decide to fall to the whims and caprices of enemies of the Scheme and allow itself to be used as a destabilising force against Usman Yusuf. The decision of the Labour Union to join the charade that is going on against the Executive Secretary aside...